Dan Dare

23 hours ago, casapete said:

Think I'm probably not the only one on here who has had to sell a great instrument when finances dictate it?

Of course, but that is not an everyday occurrence. My point was that a lot of it is really blatant/transparent. There are many on here (no names, no pack-drill) who are dealers and it gets a bit tiresome reading how everything they are selling is the greatest bass ever, they're only selling it to "thin the herd", GAS has got the better of them, etc, etc. Cut the b/s, folks. We're onto it.

11 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

Yep, when I was in bands that didn`t require DI-ing my Markbass rigs were great, excellent sound in the mix, really happy with them. It was later on when DI-ing that I realised this high-end roll-off.

I don't think MB uses high end roll-off, but that many manufacturers build in high end boost to give their products showroom appeal.

I love these posts that say "My XX bass is fantastic. Brilliant value, best neck I've ever played, etc, etc. Now for sale in the Marketplace"...

I've found MB cabs are slightly unusual in that, up close, they don't sound that great, but they do project very well. A pal uses the 2x10 combo and it has real punch out in the room, but sounds quite ordinary when you stand next to it.

The smaller PJB combos are OK when other instruments are acoustic, but once electricity enters the equation, they don't quite cut it in my experience. I had the Flightcase (4x5" speakers, 150w). Fine sounding but needed help when playing with electric guitars, drums, etc. Sold it and got a couple of C4 cabs and use them with a lightweight head. Good for up to medium volume and moderate drums but after that, it's back to old school cabs.

I agree with all those who comment along the lines of "I can do the job/I'm all right". It's dangerous to pin one's self esteem on it. If you enjoy playing, do a few gigs and get along with the people you play with, that's all good. Remembering how many people there are who can hardly play a note helps put it into perspective.

If you're playing "70s classic rock and upbeat original guitar heavy blues with loud drummers and guitar players", you'll need to shift some air. That old school tone needs to sound effortless to ring true. A 2x10, even one of the best, just won't cut it, whatever anyone claims. Unless your budget is substantial, you simply can't achieve it with compact, lightweight kit. You don't need to schlep an 8x10. Several smaller cabs will do the same job and be easier on the back.  I agree with suggestions above for Ashdown amplification, to which I'd add or anything old(er) school, but you'll have to accept it will not be that light. There is plenty of gear from the likes of Peavey, Ampeg, Laney et al being sold off cheaply these days. Peavey 4x10 cabs, for example, are heavy but sound great. Probably the best way to get that big old school sound is to use a preamp and pick up a used PA power amp, which will drive multiple cabs happily. Something decent, such as a QSC, shouldn't cost you more than £200 (for an amp that would have been many times that a few years back). Above all, visit a well-stocked shop and try stuff out. Don't buy on the basis of recommendation alone.

Two pals have the Markbass 1x12 combo and are both happy with them. They turn up used quite regularly. I like them and nearly bought one, but found one cab plus my AG700 head was virtually as compact/easy to carry about, hence my suggestion.

Someone (nobody I know) is selling a BF Midget T in the market place for £300. That's a small, light (20lb odd) cab with plenty of poke you could use with your TH. Should be fine for smaller jobs, etc.

Appears to be a way to cram the head and drivers into a slightly more compact cab.

Why not get a decent (HotCovers, for example) padded sleeve for one of the cabs so you can take just one for smaller jobs. As you say, they are light when not in flightcases, so it seems a BF 1x10 or a new combo will be an expensive way of duplicating what you already have.

How old is the power amp and how expensive was it? Ratings for PA power amps, especially those at the budget end of the market, can be very optimistic. It may heat an 8 ohm resistor for a few milliseconds sufficiently for the output to be claimed to be 500wpc (does it claim RMS, or another rating, such as "music"?), but in reality, a complex music signal can leave a lot of power amps running out of breath, usually because the power supplies aren't up to delivering sufficient current. The fact that you say it doesn't "maintain its tone" when pushed would suggest to me that it is running out of steam. Before investing in an extra cab', I'd get the power amp checked over. MB 2x10 cabs can give a surprising amount of wellie when driven right. If the amp won't drive one cab adequately, it will certainly struggle with two. You may need to upgrade amplification to gain any real benefit.

9 hours ago, Chiliwailer said:

 

@Dan Dare Many young people are into Little Mix and all that comes with it, so why should a deaf person not be able to enjoy the experience of seeing them, seeing the show, being part of the crowd etc. It's the difference between saying "I was there, I loved it" or not. I'm sure you'd agree that anyone should be able to enjoy an experience, regardless of how you think music should be enjoyed, or whatever disability they have.

@NancyJohnson Loads of deaf people go to gigs. Many blind people / vision impaired enjoy films too using audio descriptions, so they can either go with mates or enjoy the experience and sound, Odeon do it. For some people being disabled means that they are generally less engaged as they have less opportunities than non-disabled people, so enjoying a film that way, or going to a gig, is no less a meaningful experience that it is for those who are non-disabled - it's just different. 

The medical disability model says that the disability itself disables people, the social model says that restricted access is what really disables people - as do people's lack of empathy. It's sad that some people just don't get it, but then that's why disability campaigners have to fight so hard.

You appear to be deliberately misunderstanding me. I didn't say the mother shouldn't have gone and been part of the occasion. Neither did I argue against her enjoying it. I do not "lack empathy". I'm delighted for hearing impaired/deaf people to go to gigs (the fact that I have played loud music for over 40 years means I may be one of their number eventually). My point was that to sue is ridiculously OTT. It seems plenty on here agree with me. So please stop setting up a straw man to argue with.

This is crazy - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-42776454. Leaving aside the obvious jokes about the fact that you would be better off not being able to hear what was happening at a Little Mix gig, how would having someone signing the banal lyrics of typical chart tripe increase anyone's enjoyment (can you even sign drivel such as "ooh yeah baby", etc?) when they couldn't hear the actual music? Note that I am not arguing against providing signing/assistance for hearing impaired people in as many situations as is practical or possible. However, music (I use the term loosely in this case) requires the ability to hear in some way. The lyrics are only a part of it. I know it's tough that those who cannot hear are unlikely to be able to enjoy music fully, but that's just the way life is. Discuss.

Quite a few used monitor wedges on the 'Bay at the moment. Some look quite decent.

1 minute ago, EssentialTension said:

It gets complicated ...

Gary Glitter may earn £1m from Oasis royalties

Not really. If the money is legally his, it's his. He may have to count it behind bars, but it's still his.

The boost you get from an extra cab does rely on the fact that the amp can drive them adequately. I'd try before buying in case it isn't up to it.

You'll have to give us some idea of a budget. Do you want powered or passive, how large/powerful do they need to be (do they need to make enough noise for you to hear vocals over massive backline), will you be putting just vox or instruments through them, etc, etc?

I use 4 of these - http://hkaudio.com/products.php?id=131, but they are mainly for vox.

1 hour ago, Chienmortbb said:

Going for a single 4 ohm Cab is a bit limiting. Go for two 8 ohm cabs in parallel.

Good advice. Gives you a scalable rig, which you can tailor to suit the size of the job.

3 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

The glitter band were on TOTP the other day, they did some songs on there own. But not any of the good ones.

 

Were there any?

Hilarious. What next? Shoes and wallets made from the great man's skin? Can't wait...

I'd bet Orange are playing the impress-them-in-the-showroom game and agree with Bill's opinion re. gain structure. It's a common trick. You design an amp to give pretty well all its power by the time the volume is at about 3 and people say "Wow. It must be staggeringly powerful if that's how loud it is at 3. I'll take it." Then they find it has no more to give.

Re. "Is this the norm?", there isn't a "norm". He who pays the piper and all that.  Accept the offer/contract and you abide by the terms. No point in arguing. They can find plenty of people who will be happy to accept the T&Cs.

On ‎20‎/‎01‎/‎2018 at 09:54, Twanger said:

I don't think it's an issue of selfishness. It's not selfish to choose to live in a village and it's not selfish to choose not to have a car. The reasons I don't have a car are that they're too expensive, too much hassle, nowhere to park, traffic jams, unnecessary for daily life, and I have never really liked driving - I am not confident behind a wheel and feel much safer and more aware of what's going on on two wheels. I also don't have a UK driving licence. I learned to drive while living abroad, and got my licence in a non EU country. My licence is not recognised here.

The selfishness does not come in those decisions. The selfishness lies in what you expect other people to do about those decisions. I will not be playing in a band where I will be exploiting motorised musicians, so the issue doesn't arise. 

Maybe and maybe not. It's not so simple. If, for example, others are transporting/providing a PA or items of equipment you depend on to perform, then you are exploiting them, or depending on them, at any rate. If you're happy to pay them for their efforts, that's not so bad. However, if everyone decided that having a car was "too expensive, too much hassle, nowhere to park, traffic jams, unnecessary for daily life" and that they "have never really liked driving", where would you be then?

21 hours ago, Dad3353 said:

OK, OK; keep the pulse, or syncopation or whatever, keep the bar lines, but play the notes at their written length, that's all. Why do they have to slavishly fit into this artificial frame of bar lines..? What, musically, would be the difference if a dotted semibreve was written instead of a semibreve tied to a minim..? That's the key factor for me, not the lines as such. It's the tied notes I don't see a reason for.

Bar lines are punctuation. They tell you where the strong/on beat should happen. Tied notes are used when a note should be held beyond the end of a bar. What's wrong with that?

57 minutes ago, ebenezer said:

I had a amp tech replace the canon with a speakon socket.

This. Speakons should be the same diameter as XLRs.